I’ve never been to a show that opened with our host telling the audience that he may drop dead on stage – and if that happens to let the younger people take a photo first so it will be successfully uploaded on the internet… but Gyles Brandreth is known for his eccentric humour.
Knitted-jumper style icon Gyles Brandreth takes the audience on a stroll up memory lane in this show inspired by his podcast ‘Rosebud,’ produced by his on-stage accomplice Harriet Jaine. Jumping from meeting Lawrence Olivier as a schoolboy to starring in incontinence pad adverts, Brandreth goes beyond his own life stories and prompts the audience to think of their fondest memories. My head was on a swivel watching Brandreth running about the stage, throwing props into the audience and asking us to shout, “up yours!” There wasn’t a dull moment, which was an incredible feat for such a big venue.
For me the musical elements and some tangents dragged on, although rambling is Brandreth’s M.O. It could’ve been tidied up a bit; I found myself lost between Dame Judi Dench’s teddy and Brandreth’s time as a choirboy. There were also moments the show that felt more like a conversation between Jaine and Brandreth, with many references personal to them being awkwardly shared with the audience. For instance, a seemingly random rendition of Halfway Down The Stairs when neither of the two can sing.
Brandreth and Jaine could turn any boring story into a gripping account of famous (and infamous) name drop-worthy people. The wit and charm of Brandreth’s wide-eyed rambling is a guaranteed laugh this Fringe, especially if you’re bringing your parents for a visit.
Gyles Brandreth: Up Memory Lane! is running until 30 August at Gordon Aikman Theatre at Assembly George Square. Buy tickets here.
Image by Andy Robinson, provided to The Student as press material.
